Leather-splitting machine



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet. 1. J. A. SAPFORD. LEATHER SPLITTING MACHINE.

No. 462,166. Patented 00t.27, 1891.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. A. SAPPORD. LEATHER SPLITTING MAGHINE.

No. 462,166. Patented Oct. 27, 1891.

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W I '2 6 EU 0 he W E S 5 'UIIL l 0 B vfi. 6 6 W; 1 J M W (No Model.) 58heets-8heet 3.

J. A. SAPPORD. LEATHER SPLITTING MACHINE.

No. 462,166. Patented Oct. 27,1891.

MIN-M55555.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. A. SAFPORD.

LEATHER SPLITTING MACHINE.

No. 462,166. Patented-Oct. 27, 1891.

k I s l K I l 3 l B 2g- HE] N h H z s L 5 s L1 5 o a r\ ao O N a E Q Q EWITNESSES]. INVENTUR- m 7mm a front elevation of a leather-splitting ma-UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH A. SAFFORD, or MALDEN, MASSACllUSETTS.

.LEATH ER-SPLITTING MACHINE.

srncrrrcn'rrorz formingpart of Letters Patent No. 462,166, dated October27, 1891.

Application filed May 4, 1891. Serial No. 391,508. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. SAFFORD, of Malden, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Leather-Splitting Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of leather-splitting machines inwhich a stationary splitting-knife is employed, and in co-operationtherewith an adjustable feed-roll and an adjustable gage-roll, saidrolls presenting the.

leather to the splitting-knife, while the gageroll determines thethickness of the piece of leather by governing the amount cut or splitfrom it by the knife. A type of leathersplitting machine of this class'is shown in Letters Patent No. 305,240, granted to me September 16,1S8-i.

The present invention has for its object to provide certain improvementsin machines of this class whereby the machine may be adapted tosuccessfullycut and properly split different kindsand qualities ofleather. I have found in my experience that in almost everyestablishment where leather -splitting machines are used there areseveral kinds of leather which have to be split by the same machine,each requiringadiiferent treatment from the others, so that machines asusually constructed heretofore, while adapted to operate successfully onone or more kinds of leather, are not successful in splitting otherkinds, and my aim in inventing the improvements hereinafter describedhas been to produce an all round machine which will enable the operatorto vary the treatment in splitting (liiferent kinds of leather, as hisjudgment may dictate.

The invention also has for its object to provide improved means for.feeding a series of independent strips or pieces of leather to thesplitting devices and to provide an improvedgage or indicator wherebythe distance be tween the feed-roll and gage-roll will be indicated atall times.

To these ends the invention consists in the improvements which I willnow proceed to describe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 represents chine provided with my improvements. 2 represents arear elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3 3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 represents an end elevation. Fig. 5

represents a section similar to Fig. 3, showmg certain modifications tnthe construction and mode of operation of the feed-roll-cleaning brush.Fig. 6 represents an elevation of a portion of the machine constructedas Y shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 represents a section on line 7 7-, Fig. 6.Fig.8 ,Sheet 1, represents a section on line 8 8, Fig. 4. Fig. 9represents a sectional view of the feed-roll, gageroll, and knife,together with the pressure -rolls or bars hereinafter referred to. Figs.

10, -l1, and 12 represent similar views to Fig. 9. Fig. 13 represents asectional view of the machine, showing the improved chute or guide forstrips of leather and the improved gage or indicating device. Fig. 14=represents a perspective view of said chute or guide. Fig. 15 representsa perspective view of one member of the indicating device; and Fig. 16represents an elevation of a portion of the machine, showingthestationary member of the indicating device or gage and the fingerco-operating therewith.

The same letters and numerals of reference indicate the same parts inall the figures.

In the drawings, A represents the main frame of the machine, havingbearings for the driving-shaft C.

E represents a pressure or feed roll, and F represents a gage-roll, saidrolls being positively rotated by power communicated from thedrivingshaft in any suitable manner and compelled to rotate in unison inopposite ditheir lower ends to the supporting-frame, and 7 theyconstitute pivoted supports, which onable the rolls to be adjustedrelativelytoeach other audio the knife with the minimum of friction, asdescribed in Letters Patent No. 305,240, above referred to. The generalconstruction, so far as the means for supporting, rotating, andadjusting the rolls E and F is concerned, is preferably the same as insaid patent.

My improvements include means for connecting each of the arms a a,supporting the feed-roll E, with the supporting-frame by means of adouble or practically universal joint, the object being to enable thefeed-roll to be. adjusted parallel with the edge of the knife withoutbinding the journals of the roll in its bearings. It sometimes happensthat in grinding the knife the'alignmeut of the cutting-edge is changed,so that said edge extends in a slightly-diagonal direction, and as it isof the utmost importance that both the feed=roll and the gage-roll beexactly parallel with the cutting-edge of the knife it follows that incase the knife is ground, as last indicat ed, the rolls must becorrespondingly adjusted. To this end I provide the'lower end ofe'a'charm a with a vertical trunnion a (see Fig. 8,) "which is journaled in abearing or socket a, formed on a horizontal trunnion a,

journaled in a horizontal bearing in the supportingframe A. It will beseen that the ;trunnions a; permit the feed-roll-supporting arms a a toswing, as in my above-mentioned patent, to give the feed-roll thedesired move-' ments toward and from the knife and gageroll, while thevertical trunnions a ,-jou rnaled in bearings on said horizontaltrunnions a, permit the arms to swing in such manner. as to keep thebearings at the upper ends of said arms always parallel with the axis ofthe feedroll',"so that 'when .the feed-rollis adjusted to an obliqueposition, or with one end farther-forwa'rd than the other, the bearingsin the arms a a will always be in alignment with'the axis of thefeed-roll, and therefore will not bind or Wear unevenly on the journalsof the feedroll. This construction also enables the bearings of thefeed-roll to yield to different degrees at the opposite ends of the rollin case the thickness of the leather varies, so as to press one end ofthe feed-roll farther back than the other end, the describeddouble-joint connection of the feed-roll-supportin g arms to the frameof the machine'giving the desired elasticity, as it were, to thefeed-roll and permitting it's bearings to conform to all therequirements of the work without cramping or binding upon the journalsof the feed-roll.

My improvements also include certain auxiliary devices, next described,to co-operate with the feed-roll E and guide-roll F in giving all thevariations of treatment to the leather that maybe required by thevarying conditions and qualities of leather to which I have abovereferred. Said attach men ts comprise two pressure rolls or bars 0 andcl, of oylindri'cal form, su pported' by a movable frame over thefeed-roll and gage-roll, and in substantially the relation thereto shownin Figs. 3 and 5, each of said rolls having an independent yieldingmovement, so that it will conform to the variations in the thickness ofa piece of leather passed under it, while the two rolls are adapted tobe raised and lowered simultaneously by the movable frame e, whichsupports them. Said frame e extends lengthwise of the supporting-frameof the machine and is provided with ears 2' e, which are connected bypivots c with fixed cars a a on the supporting-frame. At the ends of theframe e are sockets e in which rods 1'' f are fitted to slide, said rodsbeing provided at their lower ends with bearings for the roll 0 andpressed downwardly by springs g g, thus giving the roll ca yieldingmovement. To the sliding rods f f, below the springs g, are afiixed armsh h, projecting forward toward the front of the-machine, and to theouter ends of said arms h are pivoted at i the outer ends ofsupplemental arms j, the inner ends of .which are detacha ly secured at11 to-the arms h, said arms being adapted to swing vertically on saidpivots i and provided with sockets j j, in which are fitted sliding rodsk k, the lower-ends of which are, provided with bearings 7c, in whichthe roll (1 is journaled. Springs l 1, arranged between the bearings 10'and sockets j, give the roll (1 an independent yielding movement, bothrolls 0 and (1 being adapted to yield together by the springs g. One ormore springs h may be employed to exerta downward yielding pressure onboth the rolls 0 and d, said spring being attached at its lower end at h'to the supporting-frame and at its upper end at h to one of the arms h.By means of the spring h and the independent springs g and Z asufficiently-forcible pressure :is imparted to the rolls 0 and d toenable them to co-operate effectively with the feed-roll and gageroll.-It will be seen, particularly .by reference to Fig. 13, that the rodsff, having bearings in which the pressureroll or bar 0 is mounted, arescrew-threaded along their upper portions, and are provided with nuts15, which support the lower ends of the springs g, and with nuts 16 and17 at their upper ends, the nuts 16 constituting stops which bear on theupper ends of the sockets, in which the rods fslide and limit thedownward movement of the pressure roll or bar 0 toward the feed-roll andgage-roll.

Hence by adjusting the nut 16 the normal position of the pressure rollor bar a may be adjusted to any desired extent. The nut 15 enables thepressure or force of the spring g to be varied in a manner which willbereadily understood. It will be seen that the roll c is located over thethroat or space between the feed-roll and gage-roll, while the roll dislocated over the gage-roll. Hencetherollcis adapted to act as apressure-roll for-either the main feed-roll E or the gage-roll F, thearrangement of the roll a being such that the leather can pass behind itand between it and the main feed-roll E, as shown in Fig. 9, or beforeit, so as to be pressed by it againstthe periphery of the gage-roll F,as shown in Fig.

10. Some kinds of leather will be best treated by being passed betweenthe rolls 0 and E, as in Fig. 9, while for other kinds the treatmentshown in Fig. 10 will be preferable. In cases where the shape of theleather is such that it is liable to be wrinkled in passing between thefeed and gage rolls I find that the wrinkles may be taken out and theleather properly stretched and smoothed bypassing it under both .therolls 0 and (1, said rolls co-opcrating in pressing the leather againstthe gage-roll F, as shown in Fig. 11. The yielding-movement of the rolls0 and d enables them to conform to the thickness of the leatherand topress the leather closely against the roll or rolls with which theyco-operate.

If desired, the roll d may be removed from the machine or madeinoperative by removing the armsjj or by disconnecting each of said armsat one end from the arm h that supports it and swinging said armsjupwardly, thus raising the roll (1 from its operative position withoutdisconnecting it from the machine.

The frame e may be raised to make the rolls c and (1 simultaneouslyinoperative by any suitable means, such as a treadle m at the base ofthe machine, Fig. 4, connected by a rod 11. with an arm or levero,affixed to ears p p on the frame e, the arrangement being such that adepression of the treadle will raise the frame e and thus separate therolls c and d from the feed-roll E and gageroll F, this displacement ofthe rolls being necessary to permit the insertion of thick pieces ofleather- If desired, the rolls 0 and (1 may be locked, so that they willnot rotate, thus causing them to exert a considerable degree of frictionand resistance on the leather for the purpose of more perfectlystretching the samebefore it reaches the point where it is split. Tothis end locking-pins q q, Fig. 5, may be inserted in holes formed insaid rolls c and cl, said pins being suitably supported by the partswhich support said rolls, the latter in this case be ing converted intobars.

It will be seen that'the improvements thus far described comprise one ormore pressure rolls or bars adapted to co-operate with the feed-roll E,or both the feed-roll E and'the gage-roll F, in the manner shown. \Vhensaid devices are permitted to rotate as pressurerolls, they rotateloosely and receive their rotary motion from the leather or material onwhich they bear, the latter being moved by the gage-roll of the machine.By providing these pressure rolls or bars, one or more, I am enabled toinsure the proper splitting of different kinds of leather and adapt themachine to all the requirements which naturally arise in a boot and shoefactory.

I do not limit myself to the conjoint use of the two rolls 6 and d, butmay use either roll singly, as in some cases the roll (1, co-operatingonly with the gage-roll F, may be used, the roll c being'o'mitted, asshown in Fig. 12. I desire, therefore, to be understood'as covering,broadly, in the claims following this specification a pressure roll orbar arranged to cooperate with either ,the feed-roll or the gage-roll ofa leather-splitting machine of the class above described, as well as theconjoint use of the two rolls, as here shown, said .roll or rolls havinga yielding pressure upon the leather.

When the course of the leather is as indicated in Fig. 9, the advancingend of the sheet or piece of leather is deflected and guided into thethroat or space between the bar or roll a and the feed-roll E by meansof a swinging plate or strip 0, which is affixed to arms 0 pivoted at cto the arms h h, and pressed yieldingly by springs 0 toward the roll 0.The position of the plate or strip 0' is such that a piece of leatherpassing over the roll c, as shown in Fig. 9, would be turned backwardlyand caused to pass between the roll c and feed-roll E, instead ofavoiding the meeting point of said roll 0 and feed-roll E, as it wouldbe liable to do if the said guiding or deflecting strip c were notemployed.

T represents a brush arranged to act on the fluted periphery of thefeed-roll E for the purpose of removing from the creases thereof thematter which is liable to be deposited therein by the pressure of theroll against the leather. Such matter eventually fills the creasesbetween the longitudinal teeth or corrugations of the feed-roll, thusdepriving the feed-roll of the positive control of the leather which itis desirable said roll should possess, so that the feed is not of thepositive character desired. Said brush may be adapted to rotate, asshown in Figs. 2 and 3, its shaft being journaled in suitable bearingsand provided at one end with a pulleys, which is connected by a belt twith a pulley u on a short shaft '0, which is driven by a connectionwith the driving-shaft 0.

In Figs. 5, 6, and 7 I show the brush as adapted to reciprocatelengthwise, and in this case the shaft or rod/r, to which the brush isaffixed, is provided with a feather r, Fig. 7, adapted to slide in agroove in a bearing 1', affixed to the supporting-frame, said featherand groove permitting the brush to reciprocate endwise without rotating.For reciprocating the brush I have shown a lever 10, oted at w to an armaflixed to the supporting-frame and-having one end extended upwardly andprovided with a slot 10*, receiving a stud 10 on the back or stock ofthe brush, its other end being extended downwardly and provided with astud w, which enters a camgroove w in a disk or wheel afiixed to thedriving-shat't of the machine.

In Figs. 13 and 14 I show an attachment for feeding a series of stripsof leather, such as welt-strips, to the point where the leather isgrasped and carried forward to the splitting-knife. Said attachment,which is shown in perspective in Fig. 14, comprises a chute or guidehaving a series of channels 2 2, each adapted to guide a welt-strip,said channels Ito piv-

being formed between two plates 3 3, and divisions or partitions 4 4,inserted between said plates. The bottom plate 3 is secured to a slottedguide-bar 5 by means of a bolt 6, atlixed to said bottom plate andpassing through a longitudinal slot 7 in said guidebar, said bolt havinga nut 8 bearing on the under side of the guide-bar, as shown in Fig. 13.By loosening said nut the chute or guide can be adjusted or movedlengthwise along the guide-bar, while by screwing up the nut the guidemay be afiixed to the bar at any point to which it may be adjusted. Thislateral adj ustabili y of .the chute or guide enables it to be changedfrom point to point, so that as fastas a given portion of the knife becomes dull the work may be presented to another portion of the knife.The bar 5 is afiixed to the outer portions of the arms h on the swingingframe a, so that by raising said frame the guide or chute may beelevated above its operative position.

\Vhen the guide or chute is employed, the forward roll or bar disremoved from the machine to make room for said chute, said roll d beingunnecessary in the splitting of narrow strips or welts. The guide orchute is arranged to conduct the strips or welts to the upper surface ofthe gage-roll, so that said strips pass over the gage-roll, under theroll or bar 0, and between the gage-roll. and feedroll.

It is obvious that the strip guide or chute above described may be usedin connection with the feed-roll and gage-roll, the pressure roll or bar0 being removed.

I have also shown in Fig. 14 and in detail in Figs.'15 and 16 a gage todetermine the distance between the gageroll and feedroll.

which is a pointer 9, affixed bya set-screw 10 to a socketed block 12,attached to the sliding bar 13, on which are formed the wedges whichdetermine the position of the gage-roll adjusted by an endwise movementof the bar 13, on which they are formed, (said bar being lettered i inthe patent referred to.) The other member of saidgage is a plate 14,afiixed to a fixed part of the frame of the machine and provided withmarks or graduations, as shown in Fig. 16. The pointer9is curved, asshown in Figs. 13 and 15, and extends from the bar 13 to the plate 14,its outer end being in such proximity to the plate thatitco-operateswith the marks on the latterin indicating the extent to which thewedge-carrying bar 13 has been moved endwise from its starting position,the latter being the position it occupies when the gage-roll andfeed-roll are at their closest app roach to each other. It will be seen,therefore, that any movement of the wedge-' carrying bar 13, whichincreases or decreases the distance between the gage-roll and thefeed-roll, will be indicated by the described gage or indicating device.It will also be see:\?

that the addition of the said indicating device to the machine involvesbut little ex-' pense and that said indicating device can be adaptedvery readily to existing types of machines. The block 12 haslongitudinal slots 21 21, Fig: 15, which receive the screws that attachsaid block to the bar 13. Said screws permit the pointer 9 to beadjusted to the proper initial or starting position on the bar 13. Everygrinding of the knife requires a readjustment of the initial or startingposition of the pointer if the latter is to be accurate.

In-Fig. 5 I show a chute 20, arranged to deflect toward the front of themachine thepiec'esof leatherwhich pass downthe frontside of the knife,and another chute 2l, arranged to deflect in similar manner the pieceswhich pass down the rear side of the knife, said chutes being arrangedto deliver the pieces at different points, so that each grade or seriesof pieces will be separated and delivered by itself. In some cases itmay be desirable to use only one of said chutes, and either the chute 20or the chute 21 may be used, the other being omitted, according to thecharacter of the work.

1. In a leather-splitting machine, the combination, with a fixed knife,of agage-roll, a

feed-roll journaled in arms a a, and a double or universal jointconnection between said arms andthe supporting-frame, constructed to'per- 2 mit the said arms to turn on two axes at right angles to eachother, whereby the bearings of the feed-roll are kept in alignment withthe axis thereof under all adj ustmentsof the feed roll, as set forth.

2. In a leather-splitting-machine, the combination of a fixed knife, anadjustable gageroll, a feed-roll, arms a a, having bearings for thejournals of said feed-roll, vertical trunnions a on the lower ends of;said arms, and vertical bearings a, receiving said trunnions andprovided with horizontal trunnions a, which are journaled in fixedhorizontal bearings in the supporting-frame of the machine, as setforth.

3. In a leather-splitting machine, the com-.

bination,with a fixed knife, a feed-roll, and a gage-roll, of a. framepivotally connected to the supporting-frame of the machine, rods,

'such as ff, movable in said frame toward or from the feed and gagerolls, a pressure roll or bar carried by said rods, means for adj ust-'ing said rods to determine the initial position of said pressure roll orbar toward the feed and gage rolls, and means for adjusting the pressureofsaid springs, as set forth.

'4. In a leather-splitting machine, the com-' IIO the pressureroll anadditional downward yielding pressure, as set forth.

5. In aileather-splitting machine, the combination,witli a fixed knife,a meet-011, and a gage-roll, of the frame 0, hinged or pivoted to thesupporting-frame of the machine, the pressure roll or bar 0, journaledin hearings on said rods, the springs g, whereby said rods and thepressure roll or bar are depressed, the arms 72, attached to the rods f,the plates j, detaehably or pivotal] y connected to the arms h, the rods7;, fitted to slide in sockets in the plates j, the pressure-roll d,journaled in ing a series of waysor passages arranged to guide a seriesof strips to the feed-r011 and gage-roll, as set forth.

7. In a leather-splitting machine, the combination, witha fixed knife, afeed-r011, and a gage-roll, of a chute or guide arranged to present aseries of strips to said gage-roll and feed-roll, means for laterallyadjusting said guide to present the material to different por tions ofthe knife, and means for securing said guide in any position to which itmay be adjusted, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 28th day of April, A. D.1891.

JOSEPH A. SAFFORD.

'Witnesses- O. F. BROWN, A. D. HARRISON.

Order of Cancellation of Letters Patent No. 462,166.

v Approved:

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, UNITED srn'rnsrnrnnr OFFICE,

WASHINGTON, D. 0., November 23, 1891.

Whereas the attorneys for the party in interest have, in writing,refused to receive Letters Patent N 0. 462,166, granted October 27,1891, upon the application of Joseph A. Safford, of IvIalden,Massachusetts, for an improvement in Leather Splitting Machines, for thereason that one of the claims was omitted therefrom, and

Whereas an examination shows that the said Letters Patent were notissued in accordance with the oficial record of the case in the PatentOffice,

It is hereby ordered that the seal of said Letters Patent be broken, thegrant returned to the file marked canceled, and that Letters Patent inproper form be issued pursuant to the record of the case in the PatentOffice.

- W. E. SIMONDS,

Commissioner.

GEO. CHANDLER,

First Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

